Collaboration was key in all of this. Creating new songs that can sit alongside such iconic songs as “Kiss the Girl” is no easy task. Speaking a bit more about how they approached giving Ariel another song in the movie, DeLuca says the following:
“It’s amazing when you think about it, in the animated movie, Ariel had a song. A number of iterations, but only one song. The best thing about working with Alan is that he’s so open to seeing this… He knew it. He was a different genre, we’re doing a live-action movie. How are we going to approach this? We said, ‘Can we find another place for Ariel?'”
Keeping Ariel from technically being unable to sing after she hits land was another challenge, but that’s certainly part of where the movie magic comes into play. After all, this is a movie about a mermaid and a talking fish. Certainly there is a way to make a mute girl sing a little more. DeLuca elaborated further:
“What was challenging was, of course, she had lost her voice. But we realized that obviously in a film you can create something where you hear inner thoughts through music, through song. That was the key. for us. to find this piece for her. Plus, it accomplished a lot for us as well, because it’s a montage of all her time ashore until she meets the Prince for the first time. So, she helped us in so many ways. It was wonderful to have that collaboration “.
“The Little Mermaid” hits theaters on May 26, 2023.